Plunger pump



Sept. 29, 1959 Filed Sept. 13. 1956 R. C. MASON PLUNGER PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet l R. C. MASON Sept. 29, 1959 PLUNGER PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13. 1956 mw m m5. M Mg. l .MM w/ Deed?. Se@ Page Patented sept, 29,i 195e PLUNGER' PUMP Richard C. Mason, Tulsa, Okla.,.a's`signo`r of one-half to M'. J; McNulty, Jr.-, Tulsa,` Okla. Applcattbrr september 13,'19'565 SerilNe. 669,630 l4 Claims'. (Cl 103;-'158)' This* invention relates' to deep`v Well plunger pumps of" the traveling barrel type whereinthe barrel moves withl the1sucker" rodsover a nxedplungerunit that` is'V anchored within the'lower end ofthe well tubing;

The' usual puin-pof this character includesfa standing valve on the upper end of the plunger unit'fa'ndV a1` travel; ing valve on the upper endv of the traveling'b'arr'el, both of which.' operate responsive to flowy through` the seats therefor-as" the well fluid ilows into and outY of the work ing barr'el. The traveling; valves usually operate satis=V factorily because of the pressuredischarge of thel Well iluid from' the workingbarrel, but thestandin'gvalves'are subject to sandingv up and r'nay not `fully o'pen' or close, so that the pump does not operate to talee inthe full capacity of the working barrel and to assure full displacementy thereof through ythe Vwell tubing.

It is, therefore, a principal object'ofV the present inven tin to provide a deeplwell plunger? pump of the traveling barrel type' wherein the plunger body'I cooperates with the' pull-tube to constitute a standingvalve which is positive ill-operation and the action ofthe workingbarrelassures fulllopeningV and closingfmovement of thel plunger in efl feeting its function asa-standing valve.

A` further object of the invention is to provideaplunger pump of the traveling barrel type'lwhe'reinfthe plunger is equipped-with positive and wear resistant sealing.'-elementsy which are not so easily affected by the sand or corrosiveele'mentsof-the well fluid.

Another object of the invention'is'to' providef a= plunger pump'of thetraveling barrel type which is'of simple'andf inexpensive construction and whi'ch'is capablen of taking;

and discharging. the rnaxin'nnn` capacity of'tlre'travel ing barrel? on each stroke thereof.

Other objects of the inventionareV to providefa pump1 structure that will not sandu-p,y become gasf'lochedfor' affected by` magnetism:

A further object isto effect' agitationin wells-producing' gas7 and to cause the gas to help inpushing the'foilrup'andL into the traveling barrel.-

In accomplishing these and'other objects'of'-thefinvt-mwV tionas hereinafter pointed out;v I have; provided improved structure, the preferred formof whiclris illustrated inthe accompanying drawingsl wherein:

Fig. l isa perspective viewof'av deepfwell plunger puinpl installation wherein thev pump embodies the featuresvof' the" present invention,` the traveling barrel ofthe pumpibeing shown inl vertical section to better' illustrate thev plunger unit;

Fig; 2 is an enlargedl vertical sectionthrough the plunger unit of thefpump'onf the line ZLZ'of' Fig-.f l andlA showing the plunger in position' toy allow thellowV of fluid from the upper end of the pullv tubefA through the' plunger and into the traveling barrel at thestart of the upstroke of the traveling barrel.

Fig. 3 is a similar section hut` showing the traveling: barrelv on the` downstroke and the plunger in 'seated'f pesi= tion for trapping the well fluid in the traveling barrel 2 and assuring full discharge thereof through the traveling valve into the well tubing'on the upstroke of the sucker rods.

Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the plunger.' the guide ste'niandl the plunger seat bushing, the parts being shown' in disassembled spaced relation.

Fig. 5 is a perspective' View of the upper'- endof the pull tube and the uid outlet coupling which! also'consti# tutes support for the plunger valve seat bushing.

Fig. 6 is'an enlarged fragmentary Vertical section ofthe lower portion of the'plunger, the plunger seat and the sealvv ing ring, the plunger being shown in unseated position for llow of well llud from the pull tube through' the axial llu'id passageway of the plunger. Fig. 7 is a cross' section through the plunger particularly illustrating one of the sealing rings therefor.

Fig; 8 isv a vertical section of a modified forni of plunger piston.

Referring more indetail to' the drawings:

1` designates a deep well plunger pump constructed iuy accordance with'ttne presenti invention. The pump irrcludes-a plunger unit' 2 which is anchored Within the' lower end of the well tubing 3 by means of a hold-down body 4 seated in a hold-down shoe 5 that is affixed t the lower end of the well tubing 3. The pump also includes ai traveling barrel 6 that is reciprocated upon and over the plunger unfit by means of a string of sucker rods 7. The sucker rods 7'exter'1`d downwardly throughthe well tubing 3 and are operated at the top of the well byV any suit-y able pumping jack' or other power means (not shown). Connected with the hold-down body and extending up# wardly wnhin the well tubing isa p'ull tube 8. The lower end of the pull tube is connected through the hold-down body with a pipe section 9 that extends into the well fluid, as in conventional practice. The' upper end o f the' pull tube 8 has a reduced threaded extension 10 for mounting a' coupling 11, the upper end 12 of which is of reduced diameter and provided with a plurality of out;Y lets' 13Min the wall thereof for llow of well fluid, later described. The inner periphery of the couplingv at the' upper end-thereof has an internal annular shoulder i4" encircling internally threaded portion l5 for containing a plunger seat bushing 16.

The plunger seat bushing 16 has an externally threaded? body 17 encircled at its upper end by arr annularan'gea 18 of larger diameter to form' an annular shoulder 191A The seat bushing 16 is threaded into the upper end of? the' couplingA 11'- to engage the shoulder 19KK with the: internal shoulder 1'4 ofthe coupling 111 to form a" rigidi support for a plunger guide stem 20. The upperface'ZI' lth'e seat? bushingv 16'is substantially llat and provided* with an'annular' groove 22 to seat an' 0 ring 23'. The' Oring 23 is formed ofresilient matelial, preferably one, of the synthetic rubbers that is unaffected by petroleum" fluids.' TheO ringis' preferably of circular cross sectionk and seats iirnil'y within' the annular groove 22 for sealing contact bythe lower' end of the plunger or piston element- 24, a's later described.

The seat bushing 16 has an axial' opening 25 having internal threads 26;k The p1ur1rger1"'guidef stern-.20 ycom prisesv a' section of red: havingy threaded ends.4 27 and 28e to`v respectively engage within the threaded openingVV 255 and tetrnerrnt av plunger Hstop 2'9;

The plunger element 24 includes asleevelikehcore' 30= of larger:4 inner diameter than the exterior` diameter of tl'restern-'ZUtoform an annular fluidy passageway 31' o'p'err'` in'gf theretur'eugh' for transfer of well-Huidv from the lower through' the upper' endof the plunger elementf24, asrla'ter described.` Th'e lower end of the core 30 has'anfannulfar` flange'- f'r seating one end? 33er a cylindrcalfbodyr: Sfhtlerern-The upper-end off' th'e core/30iprojectsr` through the cylindrical body 34 and is exteriorly threaded to mount a retaining nut 35 for securing the cylindrical body 34 of the plunger element against the flange 32. The stop 29 comprises a wing nut 36 threaded on the upper end of the guide stem 20 with the wings 37 turned downwardly, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to engage the nut 3S and limit upward movement of the plunger element 24 when the plunger element is moved away from the seat bushing 16 on the upstroke of the traveling barrel 6. On the downstroke of the traveling barrel the plunger element 24 is shifted into contact with the sealing ring 23 so that the well fluid previously passed through the plunger is trapped for forced discharge into the well tubing 3.

The guide stem 2) is preferably provided with pins 20' that extend therethrough and have ends projecting into contact with the core 30 to center the core and maintain passage uniformly about the guide stern.

In order to seal the plunger element 24 with respect to the traveling barrel 6 and prevent leakage of the well fluid therebetween, the cylindrical body 34 of the plunger element 24 has a plurality of circumferential grooves 38 spaced apart along the length thereof for sealing rings 39. The sealing rings 39 are of the expansion type and are preferably formed of metal having a close t within the grooves and capable of expanding into sealing contact with the traveling barrel 6. The plunger element 24 is preferably of slightly flexible material to expand a small amount with load on the upstrike to flex the rings 39 so that they set to the wall of the traveling barrel 6.

The traveling barrel 6 comprises a sleeve-like body 40 having a sliding fit upon the body 34 of the plunger element 24 and of a length relative to the plunger unit 2 to provide the length of the pump desired for a particular pumping job. The upper end of the traveling barrel 6 carries a valve seat ring 41 that is retained thereon by a valve cage 42 containing a ball valve 43 which constitutes the traveling valve of the pump. The lower end of the traveling barrel carries a bushing 44 that provides a guide for the barrel on the pull tube 8, as shown in Fig. 1. The cage is connected to the string of sucker rods 7 in the usual manner.

In assembling the pump, the pull tube 8 is connected with the hold-down body 4, the bushing 44 for the lower end of the traveling barrel 6 is sleeved over the pull tube 8, and the coupling 11 is connected with the upper end of the pull tube 8. The seat bushing 16 is threaded into the upper end of the coupling 11 so that the flange 18 thereon makes contact with the internal annular shoulder 14. The guide stem 29 is threaded into the seat bushing 16 and the O ring 23 is inserted within the annular groove 22. The body 34 of the plunger element is mounted on the core 39 and secured in contact with the lower flange 32 of the core by the nut 35. The plunger assembly is then placed over the guide stem 20, after which the wing nut 36 is fixed to the upper threaded end of the guide stem 2i) and preferably retained by a cotter pin 45. The traveling valve seat ring 41 of the working barrel is applied to the upper end of the working barrel and the bml valve is placed in the cage 42 and the cage 42 is secured to the upper end of the traveling barrel to retain the valve seat ring 41 and the ball valve 43 to complete assembly of the pump.

The assembled pump is then connected with the first of the sucker rods 7 and is lowered through the well tubing 3 in accordance with the usual practice until the hold-down body 4 seats within the hold-down shoe 5 to anchor the plunger unit 2 of the pump.

Assuming that the sucker rods 7 are connected with a suitable power at the top of the well (not shown), the rods 7 are reciprocated within the tubing 3 to effect an upand-down movement of the traveling barrel 6 over the plunger unit 2. The sealing rings 39 on the plunger element effect a substantial frictional contact with the working barrel 6 so that the plunger element is shifted between the seat bushing 16 and the stop 29 responsive to reciprocation of the working barrel 6. For example, assuming that the working barrel 6 is on the upstroke, the initial movement thereof shifts the plunger or piston element upwardly to unseat the lower end thereof from contact with the 0 ring 23 and engage the stop 29. The plunger element is retained in contact with the stop 29 throughout the upstroke of the traveling barrel. During this movement, the well fluid is drawn through the strainer section 9 and pull tube 8 for discharge through the openings or outlets 13 in the wall of the coupling 11 and upwardly through the annular passageway 31 for discharge into the working barrel 6. On the downstroke, the initial movement of the traveling barrel 6 effects seating of the plunger element on the sealing ring 23 to close the bottom outlet to the passageway 31 and trap the well fluid in the working barrel. As the working barrel moves downwardly, the trapped iiuid is displaced by lifting the traveling valve 43 and discharging into the well tubing through the outlets of the traveling valve cage 42. On the next upstroke the standing valve 43 seats and the plunger element is lifted by frictional contact thereof with the working barrel so as to draw another charge of well fluid into the working barrel and effect lift of the previously discharged well fluid within the well tubing.

Fig. 8 shows a modified form of plunger piston 46 wherein the core-sleeve 47 carries a series of cups 48 separated by spacers 49, in accordance with conventional pump pistons, if this type of sealing ring is desired. A pump equipped with the piston of Fig. 8 operates in a manner similar to the pump as above described.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a plunger pump wherein action of the traveling barrel effects a positive movement of the plunger element so as to assure full opening movement thereof in one direction of the traveling barrel and positive closing thereof in the opposite direction of the traveling barrel. It is also obvious that the expansion rings 39 provide an effective seal between the traveling barrel and the plunger element, consequently the well liquid drawn into the working barrel does not leak back into the well, but is discharged into the well tubing to be lifted upon the next upstroke of the traveling barrel. It is also obvious that the pump is of simple and relatively inexpensive construction and is constructed so that it is comparatively free of sanding up difficulties.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pump including a plunger unit and a traveling barrel reciprocable upon the plunger unit to draw well fluid thereinto and lift well fluid when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in one direction and to displace well uid from the traveling barrel when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in the opposite direction, wherein the plunger unit comprises a pull tube for conducting flow of well fluid from the well to the traveling barrel, a coupling on the upper end of the pull tube and having lateral outlet for the well fluid, a seat member carried on the upper end of the coupling, a guide stem fixed to and extending upwardly from the seat member, a piston element having an axial passageway for loosely mounting the piston element on the guide stem and to pass the well fluid therethrough, a valving part on the piston element and encircling the axial passageway for engaging the seat member to close flow of well fluid through said axial passageway in one position of the piston element, and a stop on the upper end of the guide stem to limit upward movement of the piston element from the seat member, said piston element having frictional contact with the traveling barrel for effecting said valving action of the piston element responsive to movement of the traveling barrel in said respective directions.

2. A pump including a plunger unit and a traveling barrel reciprocable upon the plunger unit to draw well fiuid thereinto and lift well fluid when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in one direction and to displace well fluid from the traveling barrel when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in the opposite direction, wherein the plunger unit comprises a pull tube providing a duct for conducting ow of well fluid from the well to the traveling barrel, a coupling on the upper end of the pull tube and having side outlets for the well uid, a seat member on the upper end of the coupling, a guide stem supported by and extending upwardly from the seat member, a piston element adapted to seat up'on the seat member `and having an axial passageway for loosely mounting the piston element on the guide stem and to pass well iluid therethrough when the piston element is raised from the seat member, said seat member being adapted to close lflow through said axial passageway when the piston element is engaging the seat member, and a stop on the upper end of the guide stem to limit upward movement of the piston element from the seat member, said piston element having frictional contact with the traveling barrel for eiecting said valving action of the piston element responsive to movement of the traveling barrel in said respective directions.

3. A pump including la plunger unit and a traveling barrel reciprocable upon the plunger unit to draw well fluid thereinto and lift well iuid when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in one direction and to displace well iluid from the traveling barrel when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in the opposite direction, wherein the plunger unit comprises a pull tube providing a passage for conducting flow of well fluid from the well into the traveling barrel, a coupling on the upper end of the pull tube and having lateral outlet for the well fluid, a seat member carried by the upper end of said coupling and having an annular groove, an O ring in the groove, a guide stem extending upwardly from the seat member in centered relation with respect to the O ring, a piston element having an axial passageway for loosely mounting the piston element on the guide stem and to pass the Well fluid therethrough, a valving part on the lower end of the piston element and encircling the axial passageway for engaging the O ring to close ow of well Huid through said passageway ofthe piston element, and a stop on the upper end of the guide stem to limit upward movement of the piston element from the seat member, said piston element having frictional Contact With the traveling barrel for effecting said valving action of the piston element responsive to movement of the traveling barrel in said respective directions.

4. A pump including a plunger unit and a traveling barrel reciprocable upon the plunger unit to draw well iluid thereinto and lift well fluid when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in one direction and to displace well uid from the traveling barrel when the traveling barrel is reciprocated in the opposite direction, wherein the plunger unit comprises a pull tube providing a passage for conducting flow of well fluid from the well to the traveling barrel, a coupling on the upper end of the pull tube and having lateral outlet for the well fluid, `a seat member carried by the upper end of the coupling, a guide stem extending upwardly from Jthe seat member, a piston element having an `axial passageway for loosely mounting the piston element on the guide stem and to pass the well fluid therethrough, Ia valving part `on the lower end of the piston element and encircling the axial passageway for engaging the seat member to close flow of well fluid through said passageway in one position of the piston element, a stop on the upper end of the guide stem to limit upward movement of the piston element from the seat member, and expansion rings on the piston element having frictional contact with the traveling barrel for eecting movement of the piston element responsive to initial movements of the traveling barrel in said respective directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,476,444 Ellis Dec. 4, 1923 1,657,593 Shalfer Ian. 31, 1928 2,361,989 Bridwell Nov. 7, 1944 

